Clippers Vs. Spurs Official Game Thread 2013-12-16

Spurs-Clippers Preview
By ELI KABERON
Posted Dec 15 2013 1:46PM
After a seven-game road trip, the Los Angeles Clippers are ready to return to the comforts of home.
Awaiting them there Monday night are the San Antonio Spurs, one of the top teams in the Western Conference and a longtime nemesis of the Clippers.
"It's a test, a good test," forward Blake Griffin said of opening the season series with the Spurs. "To be away for a long period of time and come home and play a top-notch team, a team that always executes and plays the right way, so that's why I think it....

I might go to this game, haven't decided. Last time I went to a Spurs game was that awful one in which they were blown out at home by over thirty points after all star game last season. That game was so bad, it was as if the air was sucked out of the building almost immediately. Very awkward. Hopefully they play better this time! They have a chance if they execute like they did against the wizards.

jarca

12/15/2013 - 11:03 PM PST

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Come on CP, we need you. Hoping for DJ to have a good game too.

worm

12/15/2013 - 11:10 PM PST

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Stephen Jackson time to step up your game offensively.

gman

12/15/2013 - 11:46 PM PST

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A seven game road trip and our first game is against the machine that is the Spurs? Who made the schedule?

Time for the guys to step up or shut up! I am looking at you two in particular CP and BG.

CapsNClips

12/16/2013 - 12:52 AM PST

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We can't have any duds from anybody if we want to win this game. We can't win if BG & CP are the only ones putting in work.

Ugghh this game scares the living **** out of me. I honestly don't see a way we can beat this team even if they are playing just half way decent. Spurs just never stop striking, we can't ever let up.

Purple#Gold

12/16/2013 - 02:09 AM PST

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This is going to be my first clipper game. By the way, if anyone's looking to go to the game against the Pelicans on the 18th, I have 2 tickets worth $200 each. Section 111 row 10. I'm selling both for $300. Let me know if you guys are interested.

Silasie

12/16/2013 - 07:14 AM PST

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A scary game yes. But at least we saw our offense in action against the Wizards to give us some hope. But as you say we will have to be firing on all cylinders to beat the Poppovich Machine.

A win would be pretty damn sweet!

FightOnRon

12/16/2013 - 09:19 AM PST

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I ill not be going because every time I do go to this game we lose. Generally though the Spur's fans are not too much of tools when they get us but I will fall on the grenade and sit this one out.

I did see a guy win a car at a Spurs game though.

clipperAndrew

12/16/2013 - 09:42 AM PST

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Hope Crawford is back in the starting line up, though not sure since we need help against their much better bench.

austin009009

12/16/2013 - 11:45 AM PST

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i would think crawford will start and come out a little early and go back in with the bench

austin009009

12/16/2013 - 11:45 AM PST

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he did play like 38 minutes last game

austin009009

12/16/2013 - 11:45 AM PST

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spurs are just too good so we will see

austin009009

12/16/2013 - 11:46 AM PST

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its going to be a good game

TheDude

12/16/2013 - 12:21 PM PST

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I'm afraid we lose tonight in a close one. I think we need Barnes and Redick (and everybody) to get the best of that team. Splitter is coming back just in time to play us so that's awesome too.

On the bright side, we have a number of relatively easy ones coming up in the next 2 weeks. Redick is gonna miss another 14 games and I think we'll win 10 of them including a probable loss tonight.

TheDude

12/16/2013 - 12:24 PM PST

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How can Doc not start Jamal again! Night and day difference in that first unit with him out there. I thought he did a good job of playing that starter role and not giving us too much Jamal-against-the-world during the 1st and 3rd quarters.

Willie still played badly and even if it's a coincidence, Duds actually contributed against Wiz.

Stick with what's working.

pageC4

12/16/2013 - 12:38 PM PST

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saturdays game was very revealing on good Dudley can be. Now it's time to see if this type of performance can be repeated by Dudley. consistency will be the focus now

Icecoldclipper

12/16/2013 - 01:01 PM PST

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Think Dudley will have a strong game again. He may be a player that responds better with less pressure and as the 4th option starting games he may be more relaxed and his knee being more healed than it was when JJ was playing. If he can't find his shot then I don't know what we can do. Jordan and Griffin have to dig deep on defense and hit the glass strong and same for Paul on Parker. We need aggressive Wizards game Paul and early season Blake with the lack of bench scoring we will get tonight. Blake and Paul need to get minimum twenty shots up each and try and get to the line early.

Need to gain some separation as the Suns Dragic and Bledsoe combo have been on fire and are right in place to take the 4th seed spot.

clipper*joe

12/16/2013 - 01:12 PM PST

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Not expecting anything special today. Seems just about every team coming back from a road trip ( especially cross country) never does well opening up a home stand. No expectations today keeps me from losing my sanity.

Agent0

12/16/2013 - 01:41 PM PST

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You sir are a smart man. The lower the expectations, the less high blood pressure concerns there are

DeadPoet

12/16/2013 - 01:44 PM PST

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CP3 has to score a lot today 30+ and Crawford with a +20 game, maybe we can steal this game. But the spurs bench is so tough, oh man. Hopefully Captain Jack has some good hints or the bench will be outscored a lot!

Agent0

12/16/2013 - 01:49 PM PST

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Wasn't he always the 4th option though? In the beginning of the season, he was shooting well 48/39 through 15 games, but he wasn't being assertive in taking shots. He was trying overly hard to be a team player, and looked like moving was a chore for him.

The first 4 games of the season, despite his 5 point start, he was at 10 pts / 28 mins / 50% FG / 50% 3PT (4 3PA).

The last 9 games before yesterday (games after Chicago game) he averaged 7.4 points in 30.9 MPG! He shot 34.2% FG and 22.2% 3PT.

I don't know, seems like he played better after he put more pressure on himself to play better. Still, in the end, if the man is still suffering from injury, we can't expect any consistency, and one good game in 10 is not adequate.

AirGriffin

12/16/2013 - 02:28 PM PST

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LMAO... SO many posts indicate that they is so little faith and hope in the Clippers' skill. Why are there so many people who think this will be the toughest game ever? The Spurs are very beatable , I really don't understand why people act like this game is so against our odds to win like the Spurs are a Porsche and the Clippers are a Toyota Corolla?

Is this forum actually a Clippers forum? So many jokes of so-called "fans" haha i'm starting to take only a handful of posters seriously as of late.

CP3Heliflopter

12/16/2013 - 02:32 PM PST

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I think our starting lineup will do well but our bench will be butchered. I predict a 25/25 scoreline in the first quarter and as soon as the bench comes in the Spurs go on a huge run.

The Spurs have the best bench in the league by far. It is strong on both ends of the court.

But still short handed and egos still a bit bruised from 2 weeks of getting smacked around against the Leastern Conference. I am firmly in the ClipperJoe camp for tonight. A win is possible and would be outstanding but I won't jump off the Venice Pier if we lose.(the fall wouldn't kill me but I am the Ryan Gomes of swimming prowess. Sure to sink to the bottom and never be seen again.)

pageC4

12/16/2013 - 02:51 PM PST

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A fan supports a team and will be loyal to them win or lose. Every poster here falls into that category. Expressing concern or doubt on our teams ability to win against one of the top teams in the west doesn't make one less of a fan. And thinking our team can and will beat anyone doesn't make one a "better" or "true" fan.

david

12/16/2013 - 03:39 PM PST

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I'm eager to see how the Doc Rivers system works vs the Spurs. Chris Paul vs Tony Parker- let's see who comes out top; same goes with BG/DJ vs Tim Duncan.

FightOnRon

12/16/2013 - 04:26 PM PST

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Another thing is a lot of us still are having trouble with the fact we have a really good team. we have lived for so much with mediocrity it may take years for us to get over the hump.

IMHO the biggest difference I see for years and years against the Spurs is they seem to get us with their height and packing the paint. We have trouble with that. We can out run them any day of the week,but running for 48 minutes is a bit too hard.

This will be interesting though,but again IMHO CP3> Parker hands down.

CP3Heliflopter

12/16/2013 - 04:41 PM PST

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The biggest difference in my opinion are the role players. The Spurs have much better role players. Kawhi>>>Dudley. The Spurs bench>>>our bench, etc.

Agent0

12/16/2013 - 04:54 PM PST

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This is true. They basically have all the things the Clippers need.

Very good to elite wing defender who can also spread the floor

check x 2 (Leonard / Green)

Stretch big man (edit: that hits at a high percentage, gotta clarify that)

check (Bonner)

Elite defensive anchor

check (Duncan)

6th man who can be used as not just a scorer, but also a faciltator

well, used to be (and still is) a check with Ginobili, but he went crazy in the post-season, but he's looking good again this season

They are sort of the blueprint of what the Clippers should be seeking to, not because every team should seek that, but because they have very similar personnel in terms of their stars.

Of course, it took them a couple of years of tweaking after their main guys were no long all in their prime together. Also it would be easier if Blake was an elite defensive big man and a PF/C, gives a lot more flexibility in the lineups.

Still, something similar, but with tweaks to fit what the Clippers have.

EDIT: It is interesting because based on how people judge rosters / players, " raw stats" (20/10), many people would look at Duncan and think Blake is a higher impact or better player because Duncan "only" averages 13.7 / 8.8. Of course, Duncan plays 27 MPG, so his stats won't be as pretty, but Duncan is an elite defender and come playoffs, he's playing 33-35 MPG.

Then he's a superior playoffs scorer and rebounder to BG (and I don't mean prime, I mean the old man), and far superior defensively. So despite no "20/10 woot!", he's a higher impact player by a decent margin.

pageC4

12/16/2013 - 04:57 PM PST

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It's a difficult place to be. The past two years have seen two playoff appearances with a second, then first round exit. I think this year may be very telling of where we are headed. We may either fall into that perennial playoff team that never wins a championship like Utah was, Atlanta, or other middle of the pack teams or we may turn this franchise around with a championship this year. Only time will tell I guess.

I think what I'm alarmed at is that recently it seems as if the teams that win a title either won it immediately like Boston did with their big three or the following year like the Lakers did with Pau & Kobe or Miami with their big three. Teams like Utah never really went over the hump with Williams, Boozer, and those squads. I kind of feel as if this could very well happen to us too

Agent0

12/16/2013 - 05:00 PM PST

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It is possible, but all depends on how the team continues to be built. Utah was really a first / second round team who lucked their way into a WCF beating (their first time in and then never got back) because Golden State upset Dallas one year.

They never had elite or high level defense, which is still the Clippers limiting factor before anything else. Okur and Boozer just weren't guys to produce that, Kirilenko was maximized at PF, not at SF, but couldn't play it, and Sloan was still using some slightly antiquated defensive:

Fouling as good defense = worst fouling team in the league 3/4 years from 06-07 to 09-10

Hey Ron, on a side note how do you feel about the Sarkisian hiring down at USC?

what_up_clipnation83

12/16/2013 - 05:15 PM PST

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It's going to be a tough game.

But I think the boost we get from the home crowd after being on the road for so long gives us the edge tonight.

Also would like to see how the new and improved DJ plays against Tim Duncan, he actually plays him pretty solid.

The key will be how CP3 and BG plays and how aggressive they are. Along with Dudley making shots.

CapsNClips

12/16/2013 - 05:25 PM PST

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When JJ gets back I honestly believe he can be the best role player in the league. Dudley was the ideal role playing SF when on PHX, hopefully he gets back to that. DC isn't good enough of a facilitator to run our bench's offense like the Spurs bench, but I think he'll become a good defender and he's still a decent 3PT shooter.

DJ is our defensive anchor and he's better than Splitter. I can't compare Blake to what Duncan has done for the Spurs even recently because that's not fair, but he's an Elite PF.

I don't think it's out of the question to compare us when healthy to the Spurs. Right now we aren't even in the same league as the Spurs though. We've also had a way tougher schedule than them and untimely injuries.

Steady818

12/16/2013 - 05:50 PM PST

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hardest home game is that of which your just coming back from a long road trip...

This will probably be no exception i don't expect the W tonight, but would be nice to get it anyways..

namzug

12/16/2013 - 05:59 PM PST

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I think our games against San Antonio will be good markers. We hopefully can see continuous improvement in our game today, then there in Jan, then back at home in Feb. Hopefully we get better each game, but these would be markers since they all got some time to improve between them.

I would like to see improvements in the following areas:

DJ- continuing to improve as our defensive anchor, as well as one on one post defender, and maybe giving him a post up when matched against lesser opposition.

Blake- more decisive on the offensive end (maybe a little more selfishness with the ball), continuing to improve on the defensive end

Bench- overall improvement, not relying so much on Jcross, and Stephen Jackson leading them defensively

Paul- be more aggressive early on in games

Dudley- continue to improve on his fg%

Collison- be a little more of what we expected, running the offense.

Icecoldclipper

12/16/2013 - 06:18 PM PST

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I would say Dudley was the third option when starting next to Green. With Crawford in it should relieve the pressure of needing him to cover for Green slumping and his own.

As mentioned he was not great with JJ but even still at this point you would hope the knee is making some progress.

Not because I don't have faith in our guys. But SA is playing like a well oiled machine as usual and fairly healthy. We are not. And first games back from a road trip are always challenging. This will be a tough one. Hopefully our guys show some heart.

CP3Heliflopter

12/16/2013 - 06:44 PM PST

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I don't think his knee is making much progress since he has gotten much rest.

FightOnRon

12/16/2013 - 06:49 PM PST

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Not happy at all with it. Admittedly coach "O" had a small sampling but why would anyone take a coach with a .675 winning percentage for one with , who at his best, brought his team to a .500 team. It wouldn't have hurt a bit to keep coach "O" on,these are kids they were having fun finally. Haden does not seem to like fun.

Not too many SC fans, alumni (the ones I know) or players are happy with it but what can we do. Pat Haden is the yes and front man for the NCAA and it seems he goes out of his way to not do anything the fans want. It's seems to have been his mantra since he took his yes man job.

Voyeur

12/16/2013 - 06:59 PM PST

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I will file this under IT WOULD BE NICE IF...

...Jamal Crawford just WENT OFF tonight! I mean, if there's one guy on our team that could flat out explode no matter how Spurs defended him, it would be Jamal. No pressure though. lol

Clipperfan9

12/16/2013 - 07:02 PM PST

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This just in - the majority (as in 16) of the 19 wins the spurs have are to - you guessed it - losing teams.

Silasie

12/16/2013 - 07:02 PM PST

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Yeah, I've got to admit I feel the same. I am expecting a loss but would be so so happy with a win.

cleepers

12/16/2013 - 07:10 PM PST

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...Blake Griffin had the 40/20 game we all know he's capable of.

(That goes in the same file)

pageC4

12/16/2013 - 07:10 PM PST

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I am a Bruin fans, so I don't follow USC much but my take is

that they need to find a coach outside of the Pete Carroll coaching tree

Agent0

12/16/2013 - 07:12 PM PST

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Jackson trying to get revenge could always backfire into chucking unnecessary shots. Better he just play good basketball.

Really interesting thing about the team so far is the "inability" to win on the road. Of course the disproportionate road to home (15/10) affects the overall record in itself, but still.

Home: 8-2

Road: 8-7

Usually the saying is that "your role players struggle on the road". Let's see if this is the Clippers situation. We'll look at more summary stats since we have good samples

Paul

Home: 20.0 / 4.7 / 12.6 / .597 TS% / 132 Ortg / 34.0 mins

Road: 19.5 / 4.5 / 10.6 / .584 TS% / 121 Ortg / 34.8 mins

Griffin

Home: 20.3 / 10.9 / 2.9 / .575 TS% / 109 Ortg / 35.6 mins

Road: 19.9 / 10.1 / 3.2 / .545 TS% / 106 Ortg / 37.4 mins

Redick

Home: 16.9 / 1.9 / 1.8 / .636 TS% / 38.0% 3PT / 128 Ortg / 26.9 mins

Road: 14.5 / 2.6 / 2.4 / .554 TS% / 33.3% 3PT / 111 Ortg / 29.6 mins

Crawford

Home: 14.6 / 2.0 / 2.6 / .549 TS% / 110 Ortg / 25.8 mins

Road: 16.9 / 2.5 / 2.5 / .551 TS% / 107 Ortg / 29.0 mins

Jordan (blks)

Home: 10.5 / 12.2 / 1.7 / .597 TS% / 121 Ortg / 35.1 mins

Road: 9.3 / 13.2 / 2.3 / .581 TS% / 109 Ortg / 34.7 mins

There are the "bigger name" players. They are all decently consistent road vs home, more minutes on the road probably also due to road trip happening with Redick injured. A little less productive on offense, but that happens, seems like it is coming from turnovers for all of them. DJ has a drastic offensive drop. Paul does too, but he goes from amazing to a little less amazing, so it's hard to say much. I mean his "below average" is still really good for other players.

Now the role players:

Dudley

Home: 9.0 / 1.4 / 1.3 / .622 TS% / 40.5% 3PT / 109 Ortg / 26.7 mins

Road: 7.9 / 1.9 / 1.8 / .475 TS% / 27.2% 3PT / 94 Ortg / 29.9 mins

Collison

Home: 6.9 / 2.4 / 2.1 / .513 TS% / 102 Ortg / 16.0 mins

Road: 7.3 / 2.2 / 1.7 / .546 TS% / 98 Ortg / 18.4 mins

Hollins

Home: 3.5 / 2.0 / 0.1 / .766 TS% / 117 Ortg / 8.9 mins

Road: 1.9 / 1.6 / 0.0 / .570 TS% / 80 Ortg / 9.2 mins

Green

Home: 2.0 / 1.0 / 0.0 / .286 TS% / 61 Ortg / 10.6 mins

Road: 5.2 / 1.5 / 0.8 / .406 TS% / 81 Ortg / 19.1 mins

Jamison

Home: 6.7 / 2.7 / 0.0 / .460 TS% / 84 Ortg / 15.6 mins

Road: 4.1 / 3.5 / 0.4 / .404 TS% / 79 Ortg / 12.9 mins

Bullock

Home: 2.9 / 1.5 / 0.3 / .539 TS% / 95 Ortg / 10.6 mins

Road: 2.6 / 1.2 / 0.2 / .444 TS% / 83 Ortg / 10.0 mins

Dudley goes from useful offensive player despite low PPG and ignoring his other mishaps to Byron Mullens on the road.

Willie only played 2 games at home and 11 on the road, so it doesn't really signify anything to look at his numbers except that he's been bad in general.

Jamison similarly hasn't played that many games, so his are hard to say anything from except that he's been bad overall offensively.

Bullock I can understand being a rookie, he's still adjusting to a lot of things, not all rookies adjust as fast as others

Hollins for his game has an odd drastic drop, weird, but again, it's not a large enough sample to get carried away, how was he last year, his career?

This is possibly one of the advantages of a more defensive oriented / solid defensive bench. Defense usually doesn't go away in road vs home, so while some role players are less consistent on offense on the road, if their strength is defense, then it remains consistent.

Now of course, we have to take into account that correlation doesn't equal causation. Dudley might have just had most of his bad games on the road without it relating to being on the road. It would probably be better to check his career numbers to see if there is a pattern, then it can be more conclusive.

Okay, so I checked...

Dudley Career

So it's not a career pattern, lol

Also injuries and loss of depth has muddied the waters cause if guys were playing more accustomed roles and minutes, it might be different.

Still, it is something to at least think about.

pageC4

12/16/2013 - 07:36 PM PST

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im going to be at staples for the game tonight, so coming in with the same outlook. expect the worst hope for the best.

CapsNClips

12/16/2013 - 07:39 PM PST

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It seems lately the only 40/20 games BG has been putting up are 40min/20pt games. Blake's WAAAYY overdue for having one of his patented Blake Griffin games.

Chris needs to feed him the damn ball when he asks for it. On the road trip Blake would call for the ball so many times in the post and get left with nothing more than a great P.O.V. of a 3 ball flying over his head.